Thyroid hormone tri-iodothyronine (3,5-diiodo-O-[3-iodophenyl]-L-tyrosine or T3) is the metabolically most active thyroid hormone. Like thyroxine (T4) it is physiologically produced by thyroid and stored together with it, under the form of a thyroglobulin, a glycoprotein precursor. On average, one thyroglobulin molecule contains three or four T4 residues and, at the most, one T3 residue. TSH production activates thyroglobulin proteolysis through the enzymes cathepsin D, B and L with the release of thyroid hormones T3 and T4. However, T3 generation is not limited to this mechanism: actually, in the peripheral tissues, thyroxine is transformed into tri-iodothyronine (80% of tri-iodothyronine is periferally produced by thyroxine and 20% is produced inside thyroid gland).
The importance of T3 is not only the one due to the fact of being the most active thyroid hormone. Actually, in this respect, various pathological conditions are known that are caused by its deficiency. In particular, e.g., in nervous tissue during embryonal development and childhood, T3 deficiency gives rise to a reduction in cerebral and cerebellar cortex growth, axons proliferation, cell migration, myelinization, dendrite branching and synapse genesis. As a result of T3 deficiency in the initial stages of life, a delay in the nervous system development is observed followed by a cognitive and motor deficit, that may cause a clinical picture referred to as cretinism. Also in adults it has been demonstrated by cerebral PET that, when the tri-iodothyronine levels are reduced, the blood flow inside the brain and glucose cerebral metabolism are lower. These data may explain the psycomotor deficit in the hypothyroid individuals.
In addition to the effects observed in the nervous tissue, also the ones in the bone tissue are known where the endochondral ossification is stimulated by tri-iodothyronine, thus rendering the bone linearly longer through maturation of the epiphysis bone centers. Even if not necessary after birth for the bone linear growth, tri-iodothyronine is essential for the proper fetus bones development.
Furthermore, T3 effects in the epidermis tissues have been substantiated, where tri-iodothyronine not only takes part in its maturation and of skin adnexa, but also in degradation thereof thus promoting cell regeneration. Therefore, both the excess and the deficiency of this hormone can cause dermatological problems.
Therefore, T3 thyroid hormone may definitely be considered as a pleiotropic hormone, with well documented effects, in addition to the ones above mentioned, in the blood tissue, where it increases erythropoietin production and, consequently, haemopoiesis; in fat tissues, where it promotes maturation of pre-adipocytes to adipocytes, increases the fatty acids lipolysis and finally also regulating cholesterol metabolism. Hypothyroidism, very frequently generated by autoimmune pathologies, is rather common: actually, prevalence in Italian people is about 1.5% among females and 1% among males. It is pharmacologically treated in a satisfactory way through substitutive therapies, mainly based on synthetic levo-thyroxine (T4), drug of choice because of the very short half-life of the more active form, i.e. T3, which, for this reason, cannot be routinely used. However, also the therapy with levo-thyroxine shows some disadvantages connected to the fact that while plasmatic euthyroidism is restored, the tissutal one not always does. The study of pharmacological alternatives, such as the ones proposable on the basis of the thyromimetic T3 activity described in EP 1560575 B, might represent a desirable alternative to the present treatments of choice.
However, as far as T3S is involved, the major obstacle seems to be represented by the difficulties met by a large scale synthesis. Actually, until now it has been possible to produce T3S only on a laboratory scale.
In this respect, the preparation of T3S from T3 by means of sulphating agents e.g. concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) or chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) in large excess has been described, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,165 and Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 33, 461 (1959), that describe the preparation of T3S from T3 in solid form, by means of the direct addition of concentrated sulfuric acid, at low temperatures.
Endocrinology, Vol. 117, No. 1, 1-7 (1985) and Endocrinology, Vol. 117, No. 1, 8-12 (1985) envisage the synthesis of T3S from T3 by means of the addition under cooling of a chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) solution in dimethylformamide, followed by a purification step through Sephadex LH-20.
Up to now however, none of the prior art processes can be scaled up for grams production of the final product in a pure form, mainly because the reported purification procedures need extremely high volumes. Advantageously, is has now been found that the sulfation reaction starting from tri-iodothyronine with chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) as a sulfating agent, in the presence of DMAC, offers high conversion rates. Moreover the purification can be carried out with smaller volumes than the ones reported in the known prior-art processes. Eventually, the product T3S can be purified up to the required levels for its clinical use both for the necessary quality and quantity (hundreds of grams), also under conditions applicable on an industrial scale.
Furthermore, since only radioactive assays to detect T3S levels in serum, such as the RIA described in Chopra et al. (J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 1992, 75: 189-194), have been described until now, the need exists for safer immunoassays based, for example, on non-radioactive reagents. The use of such a reagents would also allow clinical and/or research structures to carry out these measures. To this aim, non radioactive immuno-assays have been developed and are part of the present invention.